The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered two fresh cases in connection with the allegations of irregularities in coal block allocation.

The two firms  Green Infrastructure Private Limited and Satna-based Kamal Sponge Steel and Power Limited  were named along with their directors for allegedly misrepresenting facts while applying for captive blocks.

Soon after the FIRs were filed,searches were carried out at 16 places including Delhi,Hyderabad,Secunderabad,Satna,Vishakhapatnam and Jaipur. Apart from unknown public servants,the CBI has booked Parthasarthy Commandur,chairman of Green Infrastructure,now known as Athena Infra Projects Private Limited,along with its directors M S Ramkrishna,Yugandhar Meka,Allure Raju Sitarama,Vemuri Ramesh,and Prasad N.

It is alleged that the firm while applying for coal block flasely projected its net worth to be Rs 4,600 crore when it was actually just Rs 2 lakh. The firm is promoted by a large financial firm involved in stock trading,wealth management.

They also claimed to have entered into a joint venture with a Malayasian firm MMC Berhard,with a net worth of about Rs 4,600 crore. However,it is learnt that the Malaysian firm had merely given expression of interest to enter an agreement with Green Infrastructure. The firm allegedly projected their net-worth as its own and got Fatehpur (East) coal block in 2008 by submitting inflated figures, said a CBI official.

The second firm  Kamal Sponge Steel and Power  is alleged to have submitted unaudited balance sheet with a higher net worth despite the fact that they had audited figures with them. The directors of the firm claimed its net worth to be Rs 55 crore when actually the audited balance sheet says it was only Rs 16 crore at the time of applying for a coal block. CBI said the firm allegedly hid the correct figures to bag the block knowing that it was not eligible to get it.

Kamal Sponge was allocated Thesgudda (B) coal block in Rudrapuri,Madhya Pradesh,in 2008. At the time of application,the Satna-based company allegedly inflated its sponge iron plant capacity by about 25 per cent.

CBI has booked the firm and its directors Pavan Kumar Ahluwalia,Kamaljit Singh Ahluwalia,Prashant Kumar Ahluwalia besides one Amit Goyal and unknown public servants. They have been charged for criminal conspiracy,forgery and corruption.

With the new FIR,the total number of cases under probe by CBI has gone up to nine. The agency is probing the coal block allocated between 2006 and 2009.

SC seeks Centre reply on coal block

The Supreme Court on Monday sought replies from the Centre,Orissa government and others on a PIL demanding a CBI probe into the allotment of a coal block,which was allocated to the state mining corporation in 2003,to a private firm.